In the race for District Attorney there is one candidate who has the experience to be the top prosecutor we need in Contra Costa County. That’s Senior Deputy District Attorney Paul Graves.

Unlike his current boss, Interim D.A. Diana Becton, who was appointed on a 3-2 vote of the Board of Supervisors, last year, Graves has 22 years of experience prosecuting crime in our county. She has never prosecuted a single case. Yes, Becton served for 30 years as a judge, but that’s not the same thing.

Also, Graves was the first candidate to declare and was willing to run against his former boss, Mark Peterson, who had not yet resigned following a controversy regarding lack of disclosure of loans to himself from his campaign funds.

Becton only entered the appointment process after Peterson’s resignation, which doesn’t show me a serious interest or commitment to the position.

Although accused of being part of the problem, Graves was not part of Peterson’s inner circle. He’s running to restore integrity to the office. Becton on the other hand, admitted to plagiarizing large portions of her application for the position. Yet, three supervisors still voted to appoint her.

The third candidate in the race, businessman and attorney Lawrence Strauss, is opposed to the death penalty – even for cop killers. That to me is an immediate disqualification. If you’re going to be the top prosecutor in the county, you need to be willing to follow and enforce all laws in our state, whether you agree with them or not.

Another thing to look at is who is backing the candidates. Graves has the support of all the Deputy District Attorneys, as well as all of the police officer associations, in the county. Those who enforce the law know Graves is the one candidate who will do the same.

Becton’s backers include the ultraliberal, former San Francisco D.A. and now U.S. Senator Kamala Harris and worse, the soft-on-crime billionaire George Soros. Why are they interfering in our county’s law enforcement? Do we really want to model our D.A.’s office after San Francisco’s? Of course not.

Worst of all, Becton is missing too many days from the office for a job that pays her more than $250,000 per year.

We need a prosecutor who will restore leadership and integrity to the Contra Costa D.A.’s office. Voting for Paul Graves will accomplish that.

It’s happened before: Some vile racist or anti-Semite runs for an office they have no chance of winning in the hopes of drawing attention to themselves, or their cause. This is exactly what happened earlier this year when Holocaust denier Arthur Jones ran for Congress as a Republican in the heavily Democratic 3rd Congressional District of Illinois. He has been denounced by the Republican Party but will still appear on the November ballot as a result of winning the uncontested GOP primary in the district.

John Fitzgerald is using is campaign website to peddle anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and falsehoods. Image source: Facebook.

Well, now we have another one of these guys. This time it’s here in California. Today’s vile anti-Semite is John Fitzgerald, who is running for Congress in the heavily Democratic 11th Congressional District in Contra Costa County. The district, in which Hillary Clinton won 71.% of the vote in 2016, is currently represented by Democrat Mark DeSaulnier.

Fitzgerald has zero chance of winning this seat, yet he currently has the official endorsement of the California Republican Party by virtue of being the only Republican running for the office. Under rules adopted by the party following the passage of California’s deeply flawed top-two primary system, the party endorsement goes to any Republican running for state legislature or Congress when they are the only party member running. The Board of Directors may take an affirmative step to reverse the endorsement, which of course should happen immediately.

Screen shots above and below from John Fitzgerald’s campaign website, taken May 26, 2018 at 3:24 PM PT.

In a post on his campaign website that went up on May 23rd, Fitzgerald peddles numerous anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. He asserts as “truth” that Jews “played a prominent role in the African slave trade,” linking to an article that further peddles this conspiracy theory. He goes on at length peddling numerous other anti-Semitic claims and theories. I won’t link to his website or post because I have no interest in driving up his search results, but you can Google this guy yourself.

So, what should be done about this?

First and foremost, absolutely no one should vote for this guy. Unfortunately, the state party website lists Fitzgerald as the endorsed party candidate, and since many Republicans rely on the site for guidance when voting, combined with his being the only Republican candidate, he will get an unfortunate number of votes. But certainly all that should come to a screeching halt now.

Second, the state party Board of Directors, which is entirely composed of good people I know personally, needs to reverse Fitzgerald’s default endorsement.

And third, Republicans should speak out against Fitzgerald and candidacy for his blatant anti-Semitism. Let’s not wait and see if this gets traction and only then condemn this vile individual who has soiled the good name of our party – we should affirmatively reject both his candidacy and his ideas because they offend our principles.

The Republican Party was founded on the most noble of causes – the abolition of slavery. Just over 100 years later, people of both parties came together in support of the civil rights movement and the abolition of segregation. Racism and anti-Semitism have no place in our country, and good people of both parties have the responsibility to condemn it regardless of the source.

Guest Commentary by Bryan Scott

An auto accident was reported at 4:05 pm on Tuesday, February 13, 2018, in Oakley. It was a two-car accident, with one person injured who was subsequently transported to a hospital. The accident occurred at the intersection of East Cypress Road and Bethel Island Road, in Oakley.

It took nearly 16 minutes for help to arrive (15:58 minutes).

The reason for the lengthy response time is that all resources of the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District (ECCFPD), the agency that provides emergency medical and fire services for the area, had responded to another auto accident that was reported at 3:38 pm, 27 minutes earlier.

This prior accident was in Brentwood, at the intersection of Sycamore Ave. and Brentwood Blvd. All three stations responded to the accident, and four victims were airlifted to area hospitals.

Help for the Oakley accident came from a neighboring fire district, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District (ConFire), as well as the county-contracted ambulance service provider. The two Confire stations nearest to the Oakley accident are in Antioch at 315 W. 10th Street and 196 Bluerock Drive.

According to Google Maps the stations are 10.3 and 11.2 miles away from the accident site, respectively, with normal driving time estimated at 21 and 20 minutes. Arriving in 15:58 minutes means that flashing lights and a siren take about 20% off the normal driving time.

The nearest ECCFPD fire station to the Oakley accident is located at 540 Ohara Ave. in Oakley. According to Google Maps it is just 4.2 miles from the accident scene, eight minutes normal driving time by car. With a siren and flashing lights first reponders might arrive, from the closer fire station, in six minutes and 24 seconds.

The Monthly Operational Report issued by ECCFPD doesn’t list the severity of the injuries suffered in either accident. An ECCFPD Facebook posting says that four victims of the Brentwood accident were transported to hospital by helicopters, shown in a picture the agency posted.

Consider this: The human heart beats about 70-times per-minute, and pumps about 5-7 liters of blood per-minute. It has been estimated that blood makes up 7% of a body’s weight, so for a 150-180 lbs. person there will be 4.7 – 5.5 liters of blood in the body. Those of us with larger proportions will have more.

In a severe accident a cut to a major artery by glass or a piece of metal can cause blood to be pumped from the body, and rapid death. Less-severe trauma to the body’s circulatory system would, of course, take longer to cause death. But without immediate aid to staunch the loss of blood, a traffic accident victim has only minutes to live. It doesn’t take long to lose four or five liters of blood.

State-mandated funding for ECCFPD is less than $94 per-person, while areas in Central County have funding for the same emergency medical and fire services at $449 and $370 per-person, according to the county’s Local Agency Formation Commission. This funding allocation rate was set four decades ago, before East County experienced 1,500% residential growth.

Response times throughout the ECCFPD service area exceed municipal and industry goals by a wide amount, and the 115,000 residents are in danger because of this underfunding practice.

The County’s Grand Jury has issued several reports on the situation, a government task force has studied it, and the inadequate service has been noted by consultants, the media, and on a Vasco Road billboard that was erected by concerned citizens.

Oakley City Manager Bryan Montgomery has obstructed efforts to get property tax funding shifted to ECCFPD, so that ECCFPD can do a better job of protecting Oakley’s 40,000-and–growing population.

Like many top government managers, Montgomery wants to protect his agency’s budget. This is a noble goal, but he is doing so at the expense of Oakley resident safety.

Bryan Scott is Co-Chair of East County Voters for Equal Protection, a non-partisan citizen’s action committee striving to improve funding for the ECCFPD. He can be reached at scott.bryan@comcast.net, or 925-418-4428. The group’s Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/EastCountyVoters/.

East of Clayton and Antioch lies a broad swath of what used to be Contra Costa County farmland. The California State Senator representing this area, Steve Glazer, seems to be ignoring the public safety needs of the people who now live there.

While East County used to contain just 8,000 residents and the largest irrigated orchard west of the Mississippi, the 249-square mile area now contains the cities of Brentwood (2016 pop. 60,532) and Oakley (pop. 40,622), along with the unincorporated communities of Bethel Island, Byron, Discovery Bay, Knightsen, and Morgan Territory.

All combined East County has a rapidly growing population of over 115,000 Californians.

A 2016 report by the Contra Costa County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) stated that emergency medical and fire services provided by the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District (ECCFPD) were funded at a rate of $94 per-person. The report also said that these same services were funded at the rate of $449 and $370 per-person in central parts of the county.

This low funding level has forced ECCFPD to close five of the eight fire stations operational in 2010, and drastically reduce staff. Response times are at levels that far exceed any industry standards or goals.

In an interesting parallel, the nearby city of Lathrop in San Joaquin County has experienced significant growth and continues to grow due to its location along Interstate 5. From 2000 through 2016, according to the US Census Bureau, it grew by 97%. Lathrop’s 2016 population was 22,073, and the city expects to be at 35,000 by 2020.

The fire and emergency medical services that Lathrop Manteca Fire District (LMFD) provides are funded at a rate of $316 per resident (2016). Lathrop is part of a 100 square-mile, mostly rural, area served by LMFD, with over 30,000 total area residents. The district has four fire stations, 33 career firefighters, and 25 reserve/volunteers.

Yet, in East Contra Costa, have steadily deteriorated and the population and development grew. In 2016 ECCFPD recognized the funding crisis, called a “public safety emergency” by another elected official, and passed a resolution pleading for help from Senator Glazer and others in the legislature. You can view Resolution No. 2016-21 on the ECCFPD website.

The crisis was also the subject of reports by the Contra Costa County Grand Jury and a government task force, and it was noted by industry consultants as well as the media. Concerned residents have erected a billboard along Vasco Road, a major arterial route into East County, drawing attention to the crisis.

“The District lacks sufficient funds to provide fire and emergency response to the communities it was created to serve,” said a three-page letter the ECCFPD Board sent to Senator Glazer in 2016, signed by then Board President Joel Bryant.

So far, Senator Glazer has done little or nothing to address this issue.

A review of bills authored or co-authored by Senator Glazer shows a wide range of subjects. He’s sponsored ten “Awareness” month/week/day bills, several bills to ban smoking on public beaches and in parks, and one bill to change the names of California places because the names commemorate Civil War-era figures.

But he’s authored or co-authored no bills to improve the public safety of his ECCFPD constituents.

The Courage Campaign is a group of mostly online organizations that advocate for progressive causes in California. Representing an estimated 1.4 million members, the Courage Campaign uses digital tools with grassroots community organizers and targeted messaging.

The group focuses on the areas of Economic Justice, Human Rights and Corporate and Political Accountability. It annually ranks California Senators and Assembly Members, and for 2017 Courage Campaign gives Senator Glazer a letter grade of “F,” along with a numeric score of 32 out of 100.

The “Courage Score” as it is called, grades California legislators on political courage, how well they stand up for their constituents. While 16% of the all California Senators received an “A” grade, 40% received an “F” grade in 2017, including Senator Glazer.

According to the California Senate website, each Senator represents 931,349 Californians. So the residents of the ECCFPD service area represent only about one-eighth (12.35%) of Senator Glazer’s district.

It is clear that Senator Glazer is not acting to address or improve the public safety emergency involving his constituents of the ECCFPD service area.

Bryan Scott is Co-Chair of East County Voters for Equal Protection, a non-partisan citizen’s action committee striving to improve funding for the ECCFPD. He can be reached at scott.bryan@comcast.net, or 925-418-4428. The group’s Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/EastCountyVoters/.

The East County Voters for Equal Protection (ECV), led by Co-Chairs Hal Bray and Bryan Scott, are encouraging voters within the 249-square mile service area of the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District (ECCFPD) to vote “Yes” on Measure A.

A “Measure A” mail-in ballot has been distributed by mail to voters throughout the district by the Contra Costa County Clerk, Elections Division. The measure was initiated by the ECCFPD Board of Directors.

A “Yes” will reduce the number of Directors of the oversight Board from nine to five. All other fire districts in Contra Costa County have five-member boards, as do many cities, school districts and other special districts.

“An elected Board removes even the appearance of conflict between Board members, the agencies that appointed them, and the residents they represent,” said Bray. “Reducing the size of the Board will make it easier to manage the operation of the District; the District and the residents of the District win on both counts.”

All seats on the Board of Directors will be filled by an election in November of this year as ECCFPD moves from an appointed Board to an elected Board. The current nine-member board has been appointed since the creation of the fire district in 2002.

When the County’s Board of Supervisors consolidated three fire districts into a large regional district, ECCFPD, there was opposition from some East County residents who believed their community, such as the cities of Brentwood and Oakley, would lose influence.

Consequently, the largest concentration of residents, Brentwood, was given the most seats on the board, four, while the smaller city of Oakley got three seats. The much less-populated unincorporated areas of the county received two seats.

Since all Board positions will be filled by popular vote, the assignment of Board seats by political jurisdiction is no longer necessary.

The Contra Costa Taxpayers Association (CoCoTax) also encourages East County residents to vote “Yes” on Measure A.

“The best government is the most local government, with more direct access and accountability at the polling place,” said Jack Weir, CoCoTax President.

While the change will have minimal fiscal impact on district finances, the change will improve the efficiency of district administration, according to the “Argument in Favor of Measure A” submitted by Fire Chief Brian Helmick. His statement indicates it will be easier to build a consensus, he believes.

Ballots may be returned by mail, or dropped off at Oakley City Hall, Brentwood City Hall, or the Discovery Bay Community Center during regular business hours from Feb. 12 to March 6. Ballots may also be dropped off at County Elections Division, 555 Escobar Street in Martinez by 8 p.m., on or before March 6.

A County Elections Division Voter Services Center at the Brentwood Community Center will be open on Saturday, March 3, from 9 am – 3 pm, Monday, March 5, from 9 am to 6 pm, and on Tuesday, March 6, from 9 am to 8 pm, to receive ballots.

“East County Voters for Equal Protection” is a non-partisan, grass roots, citizens’ action committee formed to address the issue of unequal funding of fire and emergency medical services existing in 249 square miles of Eastern Contra Costa County. About 120,000 residents, as well as those who work and play in Eastern Contra Costa, have services funded at a level one-fourth to one-third of those levels in other parts of Contra Costa County. For more information contact committee Co-Chairs Hal Bray at hal.bray@pacbell.net or Bryan Scott scott.bryan@comcast.net. The group’s Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/EastCountyVoters/

SACRAMENTO – Assemblymember Jim Frazier, D-Discovery Bay, issued a statement on Thursday, after the Department of Water Resources (DWR) announced it is significantly altering the proposed WaterFix project to construct one larger tunnel first and build a second tunnel later.

Assemblyman Jim Frazier

On Wednesday, the DWR sent a memo to the local public water agencies participating in the development and construction of California WaterFix and issued the following statement from DWR Director Karla Nemeth.

“WaterFix is a long-overdue infrastructure upgrade that will maintain a reliable water supply for 25 million Californians while also protecting the Delta ecosystem. With the current stated support of the participating public water agencies, the state is proposing to pursue WaterFix as planned, but also explore an option to implement construction in stages. This prudent approach aligns the urgent statewide need for action with the project’s current support. We are eager to move forward with WaterFix to protect the Delta and water supplies.”

The memo further states “The option for a first stage includes two intakes…one tunnel, one intermediate forebay, and one pumping station.”

Frazier responded with the following statement:

“The Department of Water Resources is trying to sell its latest WaterFix revision as a one-tunnel plan, but that is smoke and mirrors,” Frazier stated. “Their plan still calls for two tunnels. The new plan still poses the same threat to the Delta’s environment, agricultural economy and way of life. There still is no cost-benefit analysis or economic justification for the project. The project still does not create a single ounce of new water.

DWR has shape-shifted the size of the tunnels. This is now an entirely new project.The process must start over from the beginning, with an entirely new Environmental Impact Report. The proposed new and even larger tunnel will have even greater ecological and economic impacts on the Delta.

DWR can’t just amend the EIR and biological opinions and pass it off as legitimate. The size and scope of a project this size demands a thorough process and the ability for the people of the Delta to voice their concerns.

DWR’s method for estimating the cost of its revised plan is also curious. Instead of doing a comprehensive cost analysis for the revised proposal, they gave us lazy math. They just took $16.3 billion cost estimate they have been using and chopped it into thirds.

When I was a construction contractor, I couldn’t just change my building plans without bringing it back for review. DWR and the Administration should not be exempt from process that all building projects are subject to in California, especially on one of the biggest infrastructure projects in the state’s history.”

Professor Albert Ponce during his lecture. Screenshot from YouTube video.

Dear Editor:

Some time ago, I read an article about Diablo Valley College Professor, Albert Ponce. It was obvious from what I read—if the article was accurate—that the man is either a communist or an anarchist; I’m not sure which. I wanted to find out a little bit about the man and after a few minutes I happened unto a webpage in which some of his students expressed their feelings about the professor. Some were complimentary (sycophantic), but many described a man who is an abusive bully. A man who attacks those who do not agree with his beliefs and that intimidates students who simply want the opportunity to express their own opinions and worldviews. It seemed that Dr. Ponce doesn’t like to teach as much as he likes to indoctrinate. (See YouTube video of Ponce’s lecture). (See additional related article.)

After reading all of this information, I wrote Professor Ponce and challenged him to a debate. I simply wanted to see if his beliefs were founded on personal experience. Surely, a man like Dr. Ponce has lived in Cuba, China or at least one of the former Soviet Bloc nations. I’m sure that with all he has to say about the wonders of Socialism and Communism, he must have worked on collective farms and been able to compare socialist production models against those of the capitalist west. In order to support his socialist beliefs, he must have extensive experience as a concentration camp guard, abusing, torturing and perhaps even killing a few inmates. I’m also sure that his students would like to see personal photographs of him rubbing shoulders with Raul Castro, Vladimir Putin or China’s Xi Jinping. Surely, Dr. Ponce’s platitudes are not based on simple vitriolic rhetoric, talking points and baseless revulsion he feels for the United States. Please tell me that his experience abroad can’t be limited to Chiapas, Mexico in 1999 (I was in Cuba conducting research of my own that year) where he blamed the North American Free Trade Agreement for the problems of the indigenous tribes.

Surely, he must know what it’s like to observe grieving relatives being forced to dig the corpses of their rotting relatives from temporary graves, one piece at a time. He must have experience urinating and defecating on graves as the widows of his enemies looked on. He must surely have extensive experience in all of these things or he is just an empty wind bag.

The irony of Professor Albert Ponce is that all that he has gained and earned was achieved in a free society. I heartily congratulate Dr. Ponce for his academic success. Nobody can take that away from the man. He obviously recognizes the hard work it took, the sleepless nights, living without to make his tuition payments, sacrificing to realize his dreams, etc. I’m sure that along the way, he was allowed to express an opinion, a point of view or a long-held conviction. He must have expressed those ideals during some examination, either vocally or in writing. His doctoral dissertation must have expressed some of his personal doctrines and beliefs, and because of that liberty to express those beliefs, he didn’t suffer the indignity of having the dreaded Secret Police come to his door at night to frighten him into silence. And yet, with all of his rich experience, now he wants to shutter the hearts, minds and passions of students, parents or others who don’t agree with him. His weapon at present is intimidation, but by every insinuation of his hateful speech, it is clear to see that his weapon of choice may one day be a rifle or a gun.

The First Amendment doesn’t have to protect the beautiful utterances of historic poetry, classical music or our favorite and profound Bible passages. The First Amendment was fashioned to protect the stupid, the hateful and the obtuse declarations of the vilest among us. That is free speech. That is living in an open and free society. When I first came to this country, the Klu Klux Klan was still allowed to march down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. People who stood on the sidewalk witnessing this, yelled at the klansmen and expressed their verbal rejection of them, but they knew that this hate group had as much right to protest in our nation’s capital as any other citizen’s group. To be honest, I felt freer and safer back in those days than I do right now.

The most profound statement that I have found on free speech I heard in a movie called, “The America President.” It says,

“America isn’t easy. America is advanced citizenship. You’ve gotta want it bad, ’cause it’s gonna put up a fight. It’s gonna say, “You want free speech? Let’s see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who’s standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours.” You want to claim this land as the land of the free? Then the symbol of your country cannot just be a flag. The symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. Now show me that, defend that, celebrate that in your classrooms. Then you can stand up and sing about the land of the free.”

If Professor Ponce can just get past the visions of his own grandeur, maybe he can stop long enough to listen to what his students want to tell him. Maybe he can actually be a teacher and learn something himself.

Maximo A. Gomez

Los Banos, CA

Gomez is the author of “Beyond This Vale of Tears One Cuban Family’s Story,” a guest writer for the Salinas Californian newspaper, a former senior intelligence analyst with the United States Army, a former associate pastor at First Baptist Church in Los Banos, an evangelist, and recently started his own ministry.

At age 17, after interviewing hundreds of renowned thinkers, Nikhil Goyal wrote a book called, One Size Does Not Fit All. It offers a prescription to transform the American educational system.

I don’t claim to be as smart as that young man. But I’d like to borrow the title to his book and apply it to BART parking. Here’s why.

As a BART Director in Contra Costa County, most of my constituents depend on their cars. They have a very different commute experience than my colleagues whose constituents live in more transit and pedestrian friendly areas. Consequently, the solutions to help my constituents connect with BART may be different than those of some of my colleagues.

In January, BART staff made a presentation to the Board entitled “BART’s Parking Program: Update and Discussion.”

We board members learned that BART’s revenue from parking has increased from under $5 million in 2003 to $35 million in 2017. BART has a total of 48,000 parking spaces at 34 parking facilities. We have a systemwide waitlist total of 38,000 customers. Staff presented some possible solutions to dealing with easing the overcrowding in our existing lots. Those ideas included demand based pricing and variable pricing. These are fine ideas for consideration, but what about parking expansion?

So, I decided to do what young Nikhil did and speak with some pretty smart thinkers in my district. I contacted several local business owners about parking at BART. They asked, “Why is BART just trying to manage the overcrowding, and not capturing the revenue that could be generated by creatively accommodating the people whose names are on the waitlist?”

As a director who represents auto dependent riders, I think they are right. Let’s assume that the 38,000 names on the waitlist contains duplications, and that there are, say, 16,000 potential riders who are willing to pay parking fees to get a spot. That could increase our parking revenue to as high as $54 million, or a $19 million/year increase.

So why aren’t we looking at solutions to find more places to park and charging for those additional spots along with better managing the existing spots that we have now? Why not create satellite parking lots served by free shuttle buses? Why not partner with area businesses, local governmental agencies and others to use adjacent and existing parking more efficiently?

I believe each of these ideas merits further discussion and I look forward to a robust exchange of ideas when this item returns to the Board. I am sure that there are other ideas that we should explore, but as I said at the Board meeting, the solution to overcrowded parking cannot be a “one size fits all.”

The needs of auto dependent stations are different than the needs of stations in more urbanized parts of the District. While the solutions may be different, the differences should be respected.

The residents of Brentwood and Oakley, as well as of the communities of Bethel Island, Byron, Discovery Bay, Knightsen, and Morgan Territory, are being underserved by the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District (ECCFPD).

This is a fact that’s been well documented in Grand Jury reports, by a government task force, by the county’s Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), by industry consultants, by the media, and by ECCFPD itself.

The cause is equally well known. Fire districts in California are funded with property taxes, at an allocation rate set following the passage of Proposition 13 in 1978. This rate has not changed, even though the East County area has experienced a 1,500% increase in population.

According to a LAFCO report, funding for fire and emergency medical services provided by ECCFPD is $94 per-person, while these same services are funded at a rate of $370 and $449 per-person in central parts of the county.

How does our district compare with other areas of Northern California that have experienced rapid growth? Remember, property taxes are levied at the same rate everywhere in California.

Lathrop is a valley town along Interstate-5, west of Manteca and to the east of Brentwood. It is between Stockton and Tracy, in San Joaquin County.

Because of its location it has experienced significant growth, and continues to grow. From 2000 through 2016, according to the US Census Bureau, it grew by 97%. Lathrop’s 2016 population was 22,073, and the city expects to be at 35,000 by 2020.

Lathrop is part of a 100 square-mile, mostly rural, area served by the Lathrop-Manteca Fire District (LMFD). Recently LMFD said the district served over 30,000 total area residents. The district has four fire stations, 33 career fire fighters, and 25 reserve/volunteers.

The size, population make-up, growth patterns, and staffing, all combined, make LMFD look like a smaller version of the ECCFPD, perhaps similar to what ECCFPD’s predecessor, the East Diablo Fire District, might have looked like, maybe 15 years ago, when it served just Brentwood and rural parts of Contra Costa County.

The fire and emergency medical services that LMFD provides are funded at a rate of $316 per resident (2016), compared to the $94 per-resident for ECCFPD. Let that sink in a moment.

The LMFD average response time for the city of Lathrop during 2016 was 4:23 minutes or 5:29 minutes, depending on which of two fire stations responded to the call. For ECCFPD, during the same 2016 calendar year, average response time to the Brentwood West area was 7:26 minutes, and to the Brentwood East area 7:24 minutes.

One could say that Lathrop’s total average response time (4:56 minutes) was about two and one-half minutes less than Brentwood’s total average response time (7:25 minutes). This is according to figures published on the websites of both fire districts.

A lot can happen in two and one-half minutes, 150 seconds. Try holding your breath for that long. Wait. Don’t do that, you’ll die.

East County has one State Senator and one Assembly Member. As far back as 2016, September 14, 2016, to be exact, ECCFPD sent letters to both of these elected leaders, pleading for help with this funding crisis.

The East County public safety emergency, caused by this funding crisis, is on-going, Senator Glazer and Assembly Member Frazier. It is past time to address this situation.

Bryan Scott is Co-Chair of East County Voters for Equal Protection, a non-partisan citizen’s action committee striving to improve funding for the ECCFPD. He can be reached at scott.bryan@comcast.net, or 925-418-4428. The group’s Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/EastCountyVoters/.

I would first like to wish everyone a Happy New Year and hope your holiday season was enjoyable while allowing you a chance to reset before the busy year ahead.

In April of 2017, I was named the Interim Fire Chief for the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District and was appointed by the Board of Directors as the permanent Fire Chief in October. As I worked on getting up to speed with all the functions of the Fire Chief position, I found that the year was really about working to stabilize our service level and establishing a solid foundation upon which to build future service improvements.

When I started in April of 2017, it was apparent that there were many systems and processes that needed to be improved. Initially, my primary objectives were addressing the District’s retention challenges and assuring that the District operated as efficiently as possible with the revenues available. This required transitioning the District to a three-station operation model (although the current District Mater plan calls for 9 stations to adequately serve the District).

The District has a long road ahead in its effort to improve service to our customers. I believe the District’s staff has made good strides and begun to build a solid foundation for future growth. I am a firm believer in working as a team. What we have done over the past nine (9) months within the District internally is give our line-personnel additional responsibility and a voice in the future of the District. Specifically, we created several line staff committees where decisions can quickly move up the chain of command to accomplish tasks much faster. Some of the District’s internal committees include: operations committee, technology committee, public relations / information (PIO) committee to name a few. These committees not only improve communications but ultimately improve the level of service the District provides to the communities the District serves.

Here is a summary of some of our 2017 accomplishments:

Internal Audit Discovers Additional Funding: as the new Fire Chief, one of the first priorities was to understand the District’s financial processes and assure the District was operating as efficiently as possible with the revenue that is provided to the District. After many countless hours, meetings, and seeking professional assistance, $6.2 million in one-time funding was identified from the past three budget cycles. These monies will be used on one-time expenses in the near future, including facility improvements and equipment replacements. As of this notice, the District has not utilized any of the $6.2 million one-time funds and we will not do so until all external District audits are complete. In addition to identifying these onetime funds, the District has established a balanced budget that is sustainable for at least the next ten (10) years.

Improved Capital Replacement Funding: We have established a facility and equipment based capital reserve funding program and are in the process of replacing worn equipment and refurbishing our long-neglected facilities. In the near future I will begin to share how antiquated the District’s infrastructure (stations, equipment, engines) is and what challenges the District will have as we work to increase services.

Restructured the Organization: We have successfully transitioned to a three-station operation model and increased administrative staffing. This has provided a strong financial base to build future improvements on and assures adequate personnel to guide the District on its path to improved service levels. The addition of administrative staff will assure we complete budgeting and auditing functions in a timely manner, move forward on developing a service improvement plan, and stabilize our current service level.

Improved Communications: in 2017, as a District, we began to take control of our own messages and sharing our story with the citizens we serve. We invested heavily in re-launching our own website (www.eccfpd.specialdistrict.org) where citizens can now live stream board meetings and obtain relevant and up to date information on the District. In addition, we have launched several new and updated social media pages on behalf of the District. The Social Media channels now available for citizens to get relevant and up to date information about the District are:

Partnered with California Fire Foundation to supply aid to victims: ECCFPD, in cooperation with International Association of Fire Fighters Local 1230 and the California Fire Foundation, can now provide emergency financial assistance to fire and natural disaster victims. The goal is to provide immediate short-term support in the aftermath of a fire or other natural disaster which displaces victims.

Public Outreach: Our firefighters have begun visiting schools, preschools and attended many community events as well as hosted a series of our own events such as fire station open houses, Santa visits, and health and safety fairs. This was aimed at becoming more visible to the public. 2017 was just the start; in 2018 we have a calendar full of events we will be participating in.

Station 53 Name Change: To better reflect a District identity, we changed the identifying number of Station 93 to Station 53 to ensure all stations in Battalion 5 were in the same numeric sequence. Upon additional station growth, those stations will also be in the 50 series.

Strike Teams Established: For the first time in more than a decade, our District was able to assist other fire districts on major fire calls. In a period of two months, our District sent an engine in October to the Napa/Sonoma County Fires. In December, we sent an engine to Southern California to the Creek Fire in Los Angeles County and the Thomas Fire in Ventura/ Santa Barbara counties. The crews worked to save the Wildlife Way Station north-east of Los Angeles and protected several hundred exotic animals.

New Turnouts: You may have noticed a new look to our firefighters as they recently switched to black turnouts (Protective uniform clothing). Our old turnouts are at the point of not meeting safety requirements. As of this release, all personnel’s turnouts are being replaced as part of the new capital replacement funding program. Traditionally, we have worn tan turnouts, but the black ones were something our line personnel wanted, plus the color change was a cost neutral decision.

Firefighter Retention: Late in 2017, our fire board approved a new union contract which includes a pay raise that more fairly compensates our firefighters for the lifesaving work they perform. Although we are still the lowest paid, among other surrounding fire districts across the Bay Area, the gap has significantly closed which should help with our retention issues. The new contract also includes a 50%-50% sharing of future health care costs for active and retired fire fighters. This will significantly reduce the cost of our healthcare liability.

Critical Incident Management: Firefighting is a demanding profession and it can take a toll on our firefighters. In 2017 the District worked to improve the Districts Critical Incident Management and Peer Support team and brought on a Voluntary Fire Chaplain and mental health professionals to provide support to our members•

Planning for the Future: The District is well on its way to developing a strategic implementation plan for improving the level of fires service within the District. We have retained a legislative consultant to establish a relationship with the state legislature, are in the process of retaining a strategic planning consultant, and will be developing a long-term funding and implementation plan to increase fire district services in the future.

These are just some of the highlights and achievements the District accomplished in 2017 and we look forward to improving the District in 2018. In 2018, we have many initiatives on our plate which include potentially moving to a five-member elected fire

board, developing a strategic plan to increase service levels, and improving the District’s infrastructure so we can build upon it when / if additional revenue becomes available.

As a District, we are always seeking public comments and participation. I encourage and recommend that all ECCFPD’s citizens and business owners become engaged with and learn about ECCFPD’s current service level restrictions and organizational challenges. This can be accomplished by becoming familiar with ECCFPD’s: website, Master Plan, social media channels and attending District meetings.

I look forward to a productive 2018 and continuing to push this District forward towards a higher level of service.

ABOUT THE EAST CONTRA COSTA FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT: The East Contra Costa Fire Protection District is a rural-funded fire district that protects approximately 249 square miles and over 114,000 residents. The District provides firefighting personnel and emergency medical services (basic life support) to the residents and businesses of the Cities of Brentwood and Oakley, the Township of Discovery Bay, and the communities of Bethel Island, Knightsen, Byron, Marsh Creek, and Morgan Territory.

As of July 1, 2017, ECCFPD has three (3) fire stations staffed by three (3) firefighters, for total district staffing of nine (9) firefighters per day. The district responds to over 6,900 calls a year that depend on approximately 9,000 fire engine responses. ECCFPD’s Master Plan calls for nine (9) stations to adequately provide coverage to the District’s citizens and businesses.